Friday, 1 February 2013

Blink-182 albums worst-best review

Blink-182 albums worst-best review

Chances are if you're over the age of 20, you can bet your mortgage on you remembering that iconic video for 'All The Small Things'; The three juveniles frolicking about in windy toilet cubicles, rolling on the beach and generally just being dudes. That knowledge has been passed down to the next generation and will continue to do so because it is essential that kind of magic stays alive. Sure, blink-182 are all grown up now and the dick jokes have ceased to take place in songs (live shows are another matter, however) but their fanbase still continues to grow.
As an avid fan of theirs and with the release of recent E.P 'Dogs Eating Dogs' I set about attempting to put my blink collection in order. There I sat on the living room floor with each album, and with a few scratches of the chin I'd managed to sort them out. Lets see if you agree;

7. Neighborhoods (2011)

The less said about this mess the better. Disjointed, hollow and complete devoid of effort, Neighborhoods is the sound of a band picking up the pieces from a lengthy hiatus. The band actually came out after and said at no point during the recording process were all three members in the same room, choosing instead to record separately and pass around to the others. Neighborhoods is average at best and contains none of the magic that made blink-182 the band we all love today.

Download - Natives, Kaleidoscope

6. Cheshire Cat (1994)

The debut album. This is where the fun began. Back then, blink-182 had only just been signed to Cargo Music and after a stint of live shows the label agreed to financially back the band to record their debut LP, albeit for only a few days. So the band, then consisting of Scott Raynor on drums instead of Travis Barker, set about recording this 16 song effort in a little over a week. Now time hasn't been kind to Cheshire Cat and the album hasn't aged well at all. It is still essential for all the blink superfans though. It is a charming little album if you can stomach the rough quality and the frayed edges. Doesn't stand up to more recent recordings though.

Download - Carousel, Romeo And Rebecca

5. Blink-182 (2003)

This is where the list gets tough as blink-182's main bulk of albums are almost flawless, but for me this album falls short compared to the rest. Prior to the release of this, Delonge had been dicking around with his side project Boxcar Racer and the emo overtones seemed to spread into this album too. Aside from opening track Feeling This the rest of the album featured themes and lyrics not heard before on previous blink efforts. There are still plenty of anthems here but it just doesn't feel like a proper album.

Download - Feeling This, I Miss You

4. Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)

'What is this madness!??!11' I hear you say. Well, TOYPAJ was another album to feature more grown-up themes. While this isn't a bad thing, it doesn't sound completely sincere when mixed with the other Red Bull tinged power-chord songs such as Happy Holidays, You Bastard and First Date. Still, there is plenty of quality here and Delonge and Hoppus traded vocal duties to perfection. The defining edge of TOYPAJ is that it was mixed by legendary music mogul Tom Lord-Alge (look up his C.V, it's frightening) giving us one of the ultimate sing-along albums of the 21st century.

Download - First Date, Online Songs

3. Dude Ranch (1997)

The breakthrough album; Dude Ranch is the sound of a band with the world at their feet. It even more remarkable when you discover just what the band had to come through to even record this. Both Delonge and Hoppus were suffering with vocal problems as well as battling a busy touring schedule while drummer Scott Raynor (the last album to feature him before Barker took over) had broken both heels and had to record using crutches. Eventually though Dude Ranch came like a sexual predator in the night and took the world by storm. Its amazing how just one listen of Dude Ranch transformed a nation of teenagers into drunken, tattooed reprobates. You should never underestimate the power of Dude Ranch.

Download - Dammit, Voyeur

2. Dogs Eating Dogs (2012)

While not technically an album, Dogs.. is still a fucking great record. This is what I expected with Neighborhoods and while that turned into a bit of a damp squib, the band deserved another chance. This is the result. The three amigos together in one room, recording and writing as a unit, bromance in full throttle. Lyrically this is Delonge's strongest effort to date and Barker's drumming seemed to have found another dimension. Some parts punk, other parts hip-hop and a whole lot of in between.. Dogs Eating Dogs really is better than you'd expect it to be. They even threw us all a curveball by featuring American rapper Yelawolf on the E.P. While it's uncertain to say it means blink are back on track, I can at least say I like where they're going. My only gripe with Dogs.. is that there isn't enough Hoppus.Download - Disaster, Pretty Little Girl

1. Enema Of The State (1999)

Oh boy. If a wet dream came in music form then Enema Of The State would be the result. The first album to feature drumming machine Travis Barker, this album is special. Every teenage boy (and quite a few girls) has at some point been tainted with the filthy brilliance of this album. Every single song is an anthem, every single chorus has the potential to be ingrained into your psyche. Enema has reached Diamond status in the United States, having sold in excess of 15 million copies worldwide. Many consider Enema as a landmark in pushing pop punk into the mainstream and while current bands pale in comparison there is no denying their roots. Blink-182 showed us that three dudes from California with a penchant for dick jokes can still achieve their dreams. If you haven't listened to Enema Of The State then you haven't lived.Download - All of it